Page 70 of I Think They Love You

“No.” Denz can’t explain the slight edge in his tone. His defensive posture. “It’s not Braylon.”

“I didn’t say it washim.”

Denz tries not to crumble under the weight behind that one sentence.

“Dad, it was one mistake.”

“One mistake can cost you clients,” Kenneth says, frustrated. “Thousands of dollars. Your reputation.Someone’s health. More importantly, the trust and belief of your staff.”

Denz doubts a bad case of diarrhea or bloating is going to influence how Kim, or an intern, looks at him, but he doesn’t voice that aloud.

“Being in charge means taking every small, simple, tedious detail seriously,” Kenneth tells him.

“I know that.”

“Do you?” Kenneth challenges. “Having Carter as your last name won’t save you when you mess up.”

“I don’t need it to,” Denz says quietly.

Kenneth exhales like someone who’s spent an entire day in shoes two sizes too small and has had enough. “Son, I’ve had amazing clients. I’ve also had plenty who used any excuse to shit on all the hard work we’ve put into this world.”

Denz’s knuckles ache from squeezing his fists so tightly. He stares past his dad. To the charcoal sky outside.

He thinks about his favorite 24 Carter Gold event:

His parents’ fifteenth wedding anniversary. He was ten, watching everything through the gilded banister of a rented mansion. His mom’s dream was to have the Cinderella-inspired wedding reception they never got the first time around.

His dad didn’t disappoint.

He remembers lush gowns and crisp suits. Dancing and drunken giggles and a table full of pumpkin desserts. The sparkle of his mom’s “glass” slippers matching the one in her eyes. Heady magic sprinkled in the air. The thud behind his tiny rib cage as his dad handled every second with a seamless energy, wanting nothing more than to leave a lasting impact on everyone’s memories.

Denz saw himself being that great one day.

Today’s not that day.

“This is my legacy.” Kenneth rubs his temples. “It’s the livelihoods of the family I’ve created here. Stepping in as CEO is a promise to the shareholders. A commitment to your staff. To yourself. Is that something you can handle?”

A growl wakes behind the clouds. Thin raindrops slice down the window. Denz forces his own tears to stay behind his eyelashes.

He’s not going to cry. Not here. Not in front of his dad.

His boss.

In an eerily calm tone, Kenneth says, “You’re young. I was too when I started. Grow from this mistake. Be the kind of leader you were born to be.”

He waits for Denz to nod.

Denz does.

“And if you can’t handle it,” Kenneth says, frowning, “then step aside for someone who’s ready.”

His words reverberate alongside the doubt Auntie Cheryl voiced outside the elevators when he forgot to sign the venue contract. The ones from Kami over a month ago. Haunting reminders of the kind of Carter he keeps failing to be.

Denz stands, dazed. “I won’t let you down, Dad,” he says, barely keeping his voice in check as he walks out.

“God, today’s the worst!”

The last voice Denz expects to hear at 4:57P.M.is Kami’s. He’s standing in front of the elevator. His phone vibrates with a notification. Probably another text from Braylon that will go unread. He hasn’t bothered responding since walking into his dad’s office.

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